Jamaica has already welcomed 300,000 tourists following the hurricane

Jamaica’s recovery following Hurricane Melissa has been remarkable. In several areas of the country, hotels sustained no significant damage, and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston resumed operations just two days after the storm made landfall. This swift response has translated into an unusually strong level of resilience within the tourism sector.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, just two months after the hurricane, Jamaica has already welcomed 300,000 visitors, a figure that underscores the effectiveness of the recovery strategy implemented.

The reactivation plan was completed on 15 December and, just one week later, had already exceeded the expectations of Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

“Every traveller who chooses to visit Jamaica at this time contributes directly to the rebuilding of communities and the recovery of local livelihoods,” said Bartlett.

Tourism accounts for approximately 30% of Jamaica’s GDP and provides close to one third of the country’s direct employment. Authorities estimate that the destination will have regained full operational capacity in time for the Christmas peak season.

Although the island had initially expected to surpass the 2024 year-end record of 4.4 million visitors, the impact of the hurricane has made this goal unattainable. Current forecasts now point to a full recovery of these figures by the end of 2026.